A couple of whittled bits.

A very rough chain link to see if I could figure out how to whittle a chain and a small French-style spindle. Made out of basswood blocks from the craft shop, and unfinished.

The little chain practice I am happy with – I just wanted to see if I could figure out how to do it, and I could.

The spindle is sort of a prototype piece for a larger spindle out of cherry, to see if I could whittle the shape and still get a reasonable approximation of balance going on. Also to practice carving the spiral, which was fun.

It’s pretty wobbly, but I can’t tell if that’s because it’s off center too much, or because the basswood is so light. It works tolerably well as a supported spindle, though, so all in all I am happy with the end result. I’ll add a little weight to the end somehow and see how the balance compares then.